Fromm shifts in Chapter 5 to discuss various concepts in individual psychology, pertaining to mechanisms that offer individuals an escape from intense feelings of isolation. Although Fromm is discussing behaviors that arise on an individual scale, he feels that these escape mechanisms can be found within society-at-large. Fromm’s psychological analysis is based upon the assumption that human beings are often driven to act by “unconscious forces” (157) that they are unaware of.

Fromm opens the chapter by describing two types of “tendencies” which arise in many individuals: masochistic and sadistic tendencies (164). In Fromm’s view, both masochism and sadism arise as a response to intense feelings of lonesomeness. Masochistic individuals emphasize their feelings of utter worthlessness and seek to completely submit themselves to an outside authority. In doing so, they “get rid of the individual self […] [and] the burden of freedom” (173). In contrast, sadistic individuals seek to dominate over weaker people, which provides them with a sense of “ownership” (168) over another human being. Sadism and masochism are typically associated with sexuality. However, Fromm believes that both tendencies are general personality types that only occasionally manifest as sexual fetishes.

While masochism and sadism seem to contradict each other, Fromm argues that they are both closely connected as means of achieving what he calls symbiosis: